Brick making process in which quick drying and burning are combined in a single operation



i Patented May 1933 i, i

. rmc mmm, or ROME, rbALi 'fl snrck mixme rnocnss mama Q ICK DRYING ania stamina ARE COMBINED m ns'monnornamr ou c No Drawing. Application filed August 5, 1930, Serial maimed and was July 12, 1930.

As is publicly known, the ordinary process for brick making is the following.

Brick clay when coming from the quarry is first conveniently prepared so as to ac- 5 quire, by eventually adding a suitable quantity of water the necessary degree of plasticity. The mixture thus formed is sent to the brick moulding machines, the moulded bricks obtained being then naturally or artifici'ally dried. The dried .bricksare subsequently burnt ina furnace and extracted when burning is completed and after coolin V c All this requires a long time and a remark: able number of operations which owing to the intrmsic lowvalue of the material treated, considerably increase the cost of the l I final product.

In order to avoid said inconveniences,

'20 that is to say in order (a) to reduce to the minimum the time.

required for drying, and in order to combine into a single operation quick drying and burning Without any interruption in the'process. 1

' The method according to application has been studied and practically-triedfor test a greater plasticity of the clay and a subsea,

quent economy in the driving power required by:the moulding machine being thus obtained. I

2. After moulding, the brick is placed in a refractory box on the bottom of which a a has been previously arranged, this sand or the hke being also preheated to the temperature of nearly 95 C.

- 3. The brick is then completely covered 1 withmore warm sand previously mixed with a convenient quantity of powdery fuel. Liquid fuel may be also used instead of powdery fuel, thisuse in anycase not being excluded.

5 4; The refractory box is introduced into a this temperature qof'courselincreasing pro- LthefueI contained inthe refractory box.

. tory box proceeding along-the tunnel yields I I g I X rnal air... 40 layerof sand or other Powdery substimee the Same tempel (tum as the e m source, atemperature of nearly 95 CJis obtained at'the inlet opening of the tunnel,

gressivelyfrom the inlet opening of the tunnel :towards the point where themheat source mentioned has been arranged, this 7 source having thenecessary intensity to producethe, ignition of the fuel mixed with "sand" contained in the refractory box when source. 1- I 5. Thelengthoftunnel'is suchvthat at the outlet opening the temperature is nearly the same; as that of, the externalair. V

f t isc'lear'Tthen that if the refractory box isrun with a con'venient speed within; and along thetunnel the brick contained in' the box successively takes the different temperatures metonthe way from. the initial one j of" 95 C. to that of the external air passe. in g through the temperature produced by the heat? source .destined to the ignition of this box reaches the, position of, said heat I This combustion lasts till. consumption of fuel, this fuel beingf-dosedin such-a way as to obtain the drying-and burning of ithe brick contained in thebox.

, -Practically. the, total; quantity i Of -"fuel B0 necessary for drying and burnings bricks is,

as known,- about the 6% of, the Weight of thebricks. i

- After 'consumpti'oni'of the fuel the refracits heat to the air, flowing in through the outlet opening, so i that said box; with the materialfcontained therein will have about ;It is clear that if,after the first box,;-more boxesffill ed' infthe same manner are introduc'ed inthe tunnel, eachof them will have, t

' in each'portion Eof this tunnel the same temhours.

the fuel being produced-by the rise of temperature of the box.

According to numerous accurate trials the time required for drying, burning and subsequently cooling bricks according to the process specified is a little more'than 36 This time, as is well known is not at all suflicient according to the systems presently used, not even for obtaining the artificial drying of bricks.-

It is important to remark that the process of bricks making according to application may be carried out in practice even without mixing powdery or liquid fuel with sand, provided a convenient external heat source is at disposal, of a sufiicient intensity for producing the necessary temperature for working conditions.

It is also possible to reduce the quantity of powdery or liquid fuel mixed with sand but by keeping at the same time in action an external heat source, though with a reduced emission of heat.

The process accordingto application may also be used for making bricks,the clay employed being previously dried and finely ground, then subjected to a convenient pressure within stamping forms, the invention being adapted for dry brick making.

The process may also be employed when bricks are moulded cold with a drawing machine, the mixture of clay used being cold, then immerged in a cold bed of sand and fuel. Of course the bricks might also be drawn warm and immerged in a coldbed or drawn cold and immerged in a warm bed of sand and fuel.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:

1. A process of making molded ceramic articles by drying and burning in one operation inone apparatus, which comprises p e-heating suitable clay mixture, then molding articles from said mixture during continued heating, then inserting such molded articles in a bed consisting of sand and powdery fuel preheated to the same temperature as said articles and contained in a refractory box and completely covered by sand of the same temperature; then successively introducing such filled boxes in a tunnel-oven having the same temperature at the inlet as said articles and drying and burning said molded articles therein by means of the fuel in the bed while slowly passing the filled boxes through the oven.

2. A process according to claim 1, in which the molding is effected at a temperature of about 95 C. with the aid of the preheated molding material.

3. A process according to' claim 1 in which the temperature is uniformly maintained during'the process at about 95 C.

FRANCO BANDINI. 

